Evidence Regarding Devotional Principles
63
Observing Fasting on Ekādaśī
In the  Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa  it is said that one who observes fasting on  Ekādaśī  day is freed from all kinds of reactions to sinful activities and advances in pious life. The basic principle is not just to fast, but to increase one's faith and love for Govinda, or Kṛṣṇa. The real reason for observing fasting on  Ekādaśī  is to minimize the demands of the body and to engage our time in the service of the Lord by chanting or performing similar service. The best thing to do on fasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear His holy name constantly.
To Offer Respect to the Banyan Trees
In the  Skanda Purāṇa  it is directed that a devotee should offer water to the  tulasī  plant and  āmalaka  trees. He should offer respect to the cows and to the  brāhmaṇas  and should serve the  Vaiṣṇavas  by offering them respectful obeisances and meditating upon them. All of these processes will help the devotee to diminish the reactions to his past sinful activities.
To Give Up the Company of Nondevotees
Lord Caitanya was once asked by one of His householder devotees what the general behavior of a  Vaiṣṇava  should be. In this connection, Lord Caitanya replied that a  Vaiṣṇava  should always give up the company of nondevotees. Then He explained that there are two kinds of nondevotees: one class is against the supremacy of Kṛṣṇa, and another class is too materialistic. In other words, those who are after material enjoyment and those who are against the supremacy of the Lord are called  avaiṣṇava , and their company should be strictly avoided.
In the  Kātyāyana-saṁhitā  it is stated that even if one is forced to live within a cage of iron or in the midst of a blazing fire, he should